Annie Giesbrecht

Annie was born Aug 3, 1919, near Waldheim Sk. to Jacob and Elizabeth Neufeld. She was the oldest of 7 children. She moved with her family to Warman Sk. there she attended school until 1933 when they moved to Wingard Sk. She quit school to stay home and help her Mother take care of six younger siblings. It wasn’t long before she was able to go to work as a cook and housekeeper for farmers at harvest time, earning from $2.00 to $7.00 per month. She accepted the Lord as a young adult and was baptized in the Mennonite church in Horse Lake Sk.

In 1940 she met Bill Giesbrecht, They were married Nov. 30, 1941. Times were tough with not many jobs and not much money, but they had the Lord, and He supplied every NEED.

In the first year of their marriage, Dad broke his leg. Mom was pregnant with her first child and she needed help caring for Dad so they had to live with Mom’s parents. Other difficulties that the family faced were Marj having polio in 1953 and then in 1960 when Dad’s business burnt down to the ground. Mom never grumbled about the difficult times but made the necessary adjustments to cope. Between 1942 and 1961 Mom and Dad had 9 children.

In 1965 Mom and Dad packed up and moved to Vanderhoof, B.C. with 8 of their children. Their oldest daughter had already married. Life seemed to get a little easier in the following years. As the children married and left home, Mom began to have more time to pursue some hobbies and so she crocheted and embroidered many projects over the next years.

In January of 2000 we realized that Mom had a serious heart problem and she was given a pace maker. In July of the same year Dad passed away and Mom seemed to loose her interest in living.

Four years ago she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. After much care at home, it became too difficult for Marj to bare the load, so in May of this year she was given a place at the Stuart Nechako Manor. She received excellent care and we visited often. On Nov. 6, 2006 she peacefully passed away. She was predeceased by her husband Bill, brothers – Edward, Billy, Abe, Ken, grandson Mark Wiens, and great granddaughter Jessica Knowles. She is survived by her children Audrey (Art) Wiens, Marjorie Giesbrecht, Joyce (Henry) Dyck, Earl (Margaret), Bob (Jan), Gordon (Diana), Royce (Audrey) Phyllis (Wendell) Werstuik, Les (Nora), Sister Linda Bergen, Brother Clarence Neufeld, 28 grandchildren, 40 great grandchildren. She will be fondly remembered and missed by all her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

InMemoriumLogoYour condolences will be approved within one business day. You will need a valid Facebook account. Please email us if you have any questions.